背景:萎缩性自身免疫性甲状腺炎(AAT)是小儿年龄的自身免疫性甲状腺炎(AT)的一种罕见表型。AAT的发生没有甲状腺肿大,导致其诊断延迟。生长障碍在自身免疫性甲状腺炎中很少见,如果及时诊断。长期严重的甲状腺功能减退症是儿童垂体增生(PH)的罕见原因。甲状腺素负反馈的丧失导致垂体促甲状腺细胞的TRH依赖性增生,导致腺垂体增大。垂体生长素细胞转分化为促甲状腺细胞可以解释这些患者的生长障碍。
方法:在意大利和波兰5个儿科内分泌科中心对12例身高增长障碍患者进行了回顾性评估。在所有中心,患者接受常规临床,生化和放射学评价。
结果:在第一次评估时,75%的患者出现身高增长停滞,而其余的则显示出增长受损。甲状腺功能的研究记录了甲状腺功能减退的状况,由于AT,在整个队列中,尽管所有患者均无甲状腺肿大。甲状腺超声显示明显萎缩或正常腺体,无甲状腺肿。脑MRI记录了所有患者的腺垂体对称增大,并且在给予钆-DPTA后腺体均匀增强。开始使用左甲状腺素的替代疗法,每3个月对患者进行一次密切随访。在12个月的随访中,在继续随访的88%患者中,身高增长有所改善.实验室发现显示甲状腺功能正常化,对照脑MRI记录了PH完全消退至年龄和性别正常范围内的体积。
结论:这是无甲状腺肿的重度自身免疫性原发性甲状腺功能减退症最大的儿科队列,但在垂体增生中,生长明显障碍是最明显的表现。AAT表型可能与这种特定的临床表现相关。在有生长障碍的年轻人中,即使没有明确的甲状腺功能减退的临床症状,也应始终排除甲状腺功能减退。
BACKGROUND: Atrophic autoimmune thyroiditis (AAT) is a rare phenotype of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) in pediatric age. AAT occurs without thyroid enlargement leading to a delay in its diagnosis. Growth impairment is infrequent in autoimmune thyroiditis, if timely diagnosed. Prolonged severe hypothyroidism is a rare cause of pituitary hyperplasia (PH) in childhood. Loss of thyroxine negative feedback causes a TRH-dependent hyperplasia of pituitary thyrotroph cells resulting in adenohypophysis enlargement. A transdifferentiation of pituitary somatotroph cells into thyrotroph cells could explain growth failure in those patients.
METHODS: Twelve patients were retrospectively evaluated at five Italian and Polish Centres of Pediatric Endocrinology for height growth impairment. In all Centres, patients underwent routine clinical, biochemical and radiological evaluations.
RESULTS: At the time of first assessment, the 75% of patients presented height growth arrest, while the remaining ones showed growth impairment. The study of thyroid function documented a condition of hypothyroidism, due to AT, in the entire cohort, although all patients had no thyroid enlargement. Thyroid ultrasound showed frankly atrophic or normal gland without goiter. Cerebral MRI documented symmetrical enlargement of the adenohypophysis in all patients and a homogeneous enhancement of the gland after the administration of Gadolinium-DPTA. Replacement therapy with levothyroxine was started and patients underwent close follow-up every 3 months. During the 12 months of follow-up, an improvement in terms of height growth has been observed in 88% of patients who continued the follow-up. Laboratory findings showed normalization of thyroid function and the control brain MRI documented complete regression of PH to a volume within the normal range for age and sex.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest pediatric cohort with severe autoimmune primary hypothyroidism without goiter, but with pituitary hyperplasia in which significant growth impairment was the most evident presenting sign. AAT phenotype might be correlated with this specific clinical presentation. In youths with growth impairment, hypothyroidism should always be excluded even in the absence of clear clinical signs of dysthyroidism.